Tumnus:The Untold Story
by Wathira
Summary: I've always wondered what compelled Mr. Tumnus to willingly kidnap innocents for the White Witch since he is so nice and Professor L. gives no explanation. This story is an attempt to explain it and describes what is going through Mr. Tumnus' head over th
1. Chapter 1

TUMNUS: THE UNTOLD STORY

Tumnus peeped out from behind the tree he was hiding behind. Thankfully he could hear no sound so no one appeared to be following him. Blessing the falling snow for covering up his tracks, he quickly scuttled to the next tree. His heart fluttering nervously, he peeked out from behind it as he imagined hideous eyes watching him from the bushes. He clutched the precious bundles closer to him.

Witch or not, the woodland Narnians were all going to get their Christmas presents. He'd been meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver lately as part of the underground movement against the White Witch. They had decided that since her magic was keeping Father Christmas from coming and bringing gifts, they would have to supply their little corner of Narnia with gifts themselves. They'd worked quietly in the tunnel under the Beavers' house for months. Tumnus knit or carved little things for his woodland friends to the best of his ability and with what little resources he had. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver wrapped them lovingly with their little paws.

Tonight would be what they had been planning and scheming for many a cheerless night in Tumnus' cave or the Beavers' house. Cold as it was, beads of sweat appeared on Tumnus forehead as he thought of all they were risking. With a sigh of relief, he spotted the lamppost shining between the trees. That meant he was halfway home. The tricky part would be to go past the clearing without being seen or at least not looking too conspicuous. Taking a deep breath, he made his way to the edge of the clearing and hesitantly stepped into the light.

"Goodness gracious me!"

Someone – or some_thing_ – was standing right next to the lamppost and looking straight at him. With a shock, Tumnus realized that in his eagerness to get home quickly, he had not taken care to walk as quietly as he could. His footsteps must have alerted the creature to his presence. But for the moment it looked just as startled as he was. This gave him time to scrutinize it more carefully. It had two legs, but it was definitely not a Faun. For one thing, it was smaller and wore strange garments that he had never seen on any Narnian.

Suddenly, a voice from the past seemed to float into Tumnus' head: _"But, Father, when the two Sons of Adam and the two daughters of Eve come to defeat the Witch, how will we know it is them?"_ _It was his own voice when he was only a small Faun. He had been sitting on the hearth rug in front of the fireplace in the cave which he lived in now but had then belonged to his father. Father had taken his pipe out of his mouth for a moment to answer._

_"My father told me when I was as small as you, and his father before him. At the very dawn of time, three such Sons of Adam and one Daughter of Eve were present. They had two legs like us but wore considerably more clothes. One planted the Tree of Protection which was mysteriously blown down on a perfectly sunny day, thus allowing the White Witch to come down and conquer Narnia."_

Remembering the words of his father, Tumnus heart skipped a beat as he gazed at the small being. But then his heart sank. How could such a frail-looking thing be any match for the power of the White Witch? And where were the other three? Did the prophecy not say that _two_ Daughters of Eve would come? And what about the Sons of Adam? They were nowhere in sight. As these things ran through his mind, he had another flashback. It was also in his cave, but quite different from the first scene.

_"Father, what is going on?"_

_He could hear the howling of the wolves outside coming closer. Then came a scratch-scratch-scratching of claws at the door. Before Father went to answer it, he looked at Tumnus mournfully. Tumnus thought that he had never seen him look so old. _

_"Whatever happens, my son, never lose hope. Aslan will return and the four thrones in Cair Paravel will be filled. My heart tells me that this will happen in your own lifetime."_

_With that, he flung open the door to reveal a big Wolf standing there._

_"Camus the Faun, you are under arrest for disobeying orders regarding enemies of Narnia. Your refusal to capture humans who threaten the reign of our queen has landed you a life sentence in the Dungeon of Ice. Have you any last words?"_

_"Only that I believe in a free Narnia," said Camus, loud enough for his scared son to hear. An ogre who was standing behind the Wolf now stepped up. He forced Camus to face the wall as he tied his hands behind him. Then he seemed to notice Tumnus for the first time cowering on the hearth rug._

_"What about him, Captain?"_

_The Wolf Captain scrutinized Tumnus with his sharp, yellow eyes._

_"Take the father away. I will take care of this one."_

_The ogre grunted and shoved Camus cruelly outside. Tumnus could still hear his cries of pain even as he and the Wolf were now alone. Captain Maugrim, for that was the Wolf's name, now turned his attention to him. But instead of gobbling him up, as Tumnus thought he would surely do, Maugrim adopted quite a different tone._

_"Now, you look like a smart young lad. Are you smart enough to stay out of trouble?"_

_Tumnus said nothing. His fear and the trauma of seeing his father being taken away like that kept him silent._

_"If you will work for the queen and obey her commands," continued the Wolf, "you will be spared the same fate as your foolish father."_

_Maugrim turned to go, but as he crossed the threshold he stopped and said, "Think about it." Then he left, leaving the Faun child alone with his tears and the snow drifting into the cave from the open door._

Now, years later, Tumnus thought about the choice he had made and what he now had to do. He bowed quickly to the little stranger to hide the tears in his eyes and blinked them away as he straightened up again. Then he paused. Perhaps it was not necessary to take this innocent soul. Maybe he had only made a mistake. Hardly daring to breathe, he asked, "Excuse me – I don't want to be inquisitive – but should I be right in thinking you are a Daughter of Eve?"

"My name's Lucy," replied she. Does she have to make this so difficult? thought Tumnus. He decided to rephrase the question.

"But you are – forgive me – you are what they call a girl?"

"Of course I'm a girl."

Tumnus pressed on.

"You are in fact Human?"

"Of course I'm Human," said the girl, looking a little puzzled. Tumnus saw that she was confused and decided to take it easy on her. He spoke kindly and befriended her and finally invited her to his cave.


	2. Chapter 2

TUMNUS: PART TWO

Here is where his plan nearly unraveled. For the girl was reluctant to follow him despite his kindness. Fortunately, with a little convincing, she decided to come over for a little while. She warned that she would not be able to stay for long.

"We will see about that, Human girl," thought Tumnus. He made no sign of his intentions all the way home and chattered cheerfully as if nothing was wrong. But in the back of his mind he kept saying to himself that the race of the thing on his arm had gotten his father arrested, and that she deserved what she was going to get.

Finally, they arrived at the cave and Tumnus prepared tea for both of them. As he did, he glanced up at Lucy from time to time. She was looking around at his books and then she glanced up at the picture of Father.

"Ah, that – that is my father," he said, proud of the fact despite his inner feelings toward her.

"He has a nice face," she replied, sending a thrill of pleasure through him. "He looks a lot like you."

At this, he stopped.

"No, I'm not very much like him at all really."

What she said next surprised him.

"My father is fighting in the war."

"My father went away to war, too," said Tumnus. These words brought painful recollections of Father taking down his bow from over the mantelpiece when he first went. Before, the threat of war had not seemed so menacing because only other Fauns had come over to their house to talk about a Witch from the North. Something called the Tree of Protection had, strangely enough, fallen right over on a day without even a breeze to stir its leaves.

_Some said that the other-worldly child who had planted it had taken one of its fruit back to his own world. If he had planted it and it had grown into a tree also then surely would it not be affected by the same things as the tree which it came from? And would not this tree be also affected by what happened to the tree in the other world like a fierce storm? Father's friends had whispered late into the night that whatever the explanation this did not bode well for Narnia. That tree had been planted as a safeguard against an evil Witch. Now that it was gone, who knew what would happen. No one remembered there having ever been an evil time in Narnia, but then that was because the Tree had always been there protecting the Narnians. _

_Then came the fateful night when pounding fists hammered at the door. Voices came through, "Camus, the Witch has gathered an army of treacherous Narnians and is attacking us!" Camus wasted no time but grabbed his weapons. Before he ran out the door, he told the frightened Tumnus, "Fear not, son. This is only a temporary menace and when I come back things will go back to the way they were and we will all forget this ever happened." _

_But it was not as short-lived as Camus had said. He came back from the battle limping and covered with various cuts and bruises all over his body. That was when the first snowflakes had started to fall. It made the Narnians uneasy to see snow in August, but is was only the beginning. The snow continued for days, weeks, and then months. Finally, few people could remember a time when it had not snowed._

Looking at Lucy now, Tumnus saw with a startling clarity a similarity between them. She had also seen her own father take up his weapon to battle evil and what was to stop her from seeing him again as broken and defeated as his own father had come back?

Quickly remembering where he was, he shook himself.

"But that was a long time ago."

He hurriedly changed the subject, all the while wondering how he could distract Lucy long enough to fetch the Witch to take her. It was only as they were finishing their tea that the idea struck him. There was a flute on the mantelpiece from the days of summer, when he and his friends would gather the straw left over from haymaking and make toys from themselves out of them. From a very young age he had loved hearing and making music and he had immediately known what he would make. He fingered the instrument lovingly as he thought of happier days.

_He'd play it for hours under the shade of the great trees of the forest, and they in turn would sway their branches in time with the music. When the Tree of Protection had fallen down, Tumnus had only thought of it as one less shade to sit under on hot summer afternoons. Sadly, he now saw how naïve he had been. On the first day of snow, he had composed a tune to entertain his father who was mostly to weak now to go outside. He'd wanted the tune to express the world outside to him which he could no longer experience and make him want to laugh, cry, dance, and go to sleep at the same time._

He played it for Lucy now and it was not long until she dropped off to sleep. While she slept he had time to think over his actions. He realized that by kidnapping her for the Witch, the murderer of his father, he would not only ensure her eternal reign but also Lucy's death. If he kidnapped the only human who had come into Narnia so far in his lifetime, then the prophecy would never be fulfilled. How many more Narnians would have to fall into Jadis' clutches and leave their children fatherless like him?

His mind went back to the wounds of his father after that first battle with the Witch. He had shown his faithfulness to Aslan by not agreeing to kidnapping human children. And Tumnus thought of all the Narnians shivering in their own caves, dens, and holes, whose Christmas presents he had yet to deliver. Now a terrible choice lay before him. Would it not be better to rot in the Dungeon of Ice than to know that he had let all those good people down?

When Lucy finally woke up he still had not made up his mind. The overwhelming oppression of all the past years finally took their toll on him. He broke down and confessed everything to the girl he'd hated so much a while ago. Compassionate and a bit bewildered, she tried her best to comfort him and even gave him her handkerchief to wipe his tears with. In that moment he swore his undying loyalty to her and her people in his heart and to aid them in whatever way he could until they took their rightful thrones.

But there was still the matter of what to do with her. He could not hide her in his cave for that long. Someone would find out and word would eventually reach the Witch. The most sensible idea would be to take her back to wherever she had come from where the Witch could not get at her. Warning her to be perfectly quiet, he led her back to the lamppost where they had first met.

After a whispered goodbye he made sure that she was safely out of sight before he himself went back home. When he got back home he finally picked up his bundles again and headed out into the wood. Fondly, he placed them in inconspicuous places that he knew the persons they were meant for would find them. Mr. Robin's bundle of straw to line his nest with was placed on a hidden branch where he liked to sing in the morning. The package containing Mrs. Rabbit's shawl was placed in her garden and looked like just another cabbage in the moonlight. And so he continued all through the forest always taking care to wipe away his hoof tracks. Then he went back home for the first night in a long time when he felt perfectly sure he had done the right thing.


	3. Chapter 3

TUMNUS: PART THREE

In the following days, he tried to go about his daily business as usual walking to Chippingford for his groceries. The sight nearly made him cry every time he went even for an hour. Long lines of starving Narnians, some of them with children, waited at the doors of shops for food that would not come or would be stale and bad for eating. Such was the way things were run under the rule of the Witch. He tried to share what he had with his neighbors who had less that he did.

One day he was coming from Badger's hole when he heard his own name being called. His surprise and joy knew no bounds when he saw none other than Lucy running towards him with a happy face. She greeted him with a big hug and a warm smile that chased the wintry cold away. He took her inside and they enjoyed another pleasant tea. For Tumnus it was all the more pleasant when he really Lucy's friend and not just pretending to be. He smiled at her concern that the Witch had heard about her escape and assured her that she had not. When she said that she had been playing hide-and-seek with her siblings he smiled all the more because he still remembered playing that game with his friends as a little Faun. This happy hour was brought to an end when Tumnus' sharp ears caught the sound of sleigh bells coming from somewhere else in the woods. Lucy heard it, too.

"Oh, do you have sleighs in this country? We do in my world, too! Once, before father went away to war, all of us went for a sleigh ride and it was simply delightf— Mr. Tumnus, whatever is the matter?"

For the last time she had seen that look of fear in his eyes was the terrible night of her escape.

"Lucy," he said hoarsely, "the only person in this country who has a sleigh is the Witch."

Her face turned as pale as a ghost.

"I must go at once!"

"You go," he said, already putting away her cup and saucer. "I will stall her so you have time to get away."

Lucy hugged him one more time and ran out of the cave back the way she had come. Tumnus listened anxiously after her footsteps had receded. Then with a feeling of horror he heard the bells again. But this time they were fainter and farther off. The Witch appeared to be going in another direction.

"Thank Aslan!"

But it was not the end. Scarcely three days after Lucy escaped again, Tumnus finally heard the dreaded _scratch-scratch-scratching_ at the door just like all those years ago. Not waiting one more minute, he grabbed his favorite red scarf and threw it around his neck. Then he took the handkerchief that Lucy had given him which he had hidden under a loose floorboard. Running into his bedroom, he moved the rug that hid a trapdoor and opened the trapdoor. Taking care to step carefully down the steep stairs lest he fall, he took care to care to close and lock the trapdoor which was built to lock from the inside for such a time as this. He started running down the tunnel just as he heard his front door being broken by the hinges, no doubt by the club of an ogre.

It must have been hours later when with gasping breaths and aching legs, Tumnus finally reached the trapdoor leading to the Beavers' house. Hurriedly he did the secret knock, tumbled in, explained the situation to the concerned Beavers and gave Mr. Beaver Lucy's handkerchief. Then he turned to go but the Beavers insisted that he at least recover his strength. He strongly objected, not wanting to get his friends in trouble for aiding and abetting a criminal. But as he was barely strong enough to stand, he really did not have much of a choice. They gave him dinner and made a pallet for him on the floor, since their bunks were too small for him.

He slept the whole night despite his urgency to get away as soon as possible. The next day after a hurried breakfast the Beavers led him back through the tunnel to Badger's trapdoor. Beaver had alerted some of his friends to Tumnus' situation and they had come there to help him. Saying goodbye to the Beavers and watching as they went back to their own trapdoor, Tumnus pushed the barrel that blocked Badger's trapdoor.

There, just as Beaver had said, was an array of woodland creatures ready to meet him. But something was wrong. They had looks of unutterable terror on their faces. Tumnus knew that their mission was risky enough for such anxiety but that was not all. They stood completely still, ignoring the snow that was collecting on their backs and their fur had a strange grayish color. His worst fear was realized when he touched a rabbit and felt, instead of fur, cold stone. The grief that came over him then made him lose all hope of escape. He dare not go back to the Beavers lest they be found out, too. Still weak from the day before and sick with mourning for his fellow Narnians, Tumnus collapsed into the snow.


	4. Chapter 4

TUMNUS: PART FOUR

He woke up in a place he knew immediately from the cold and the stench of death and rot– the dreaded Dungeon of Ice. His hooves were shackled together and the only light came from a very high window but he could not tell whether it was sunlight or moonlight. Presently, he heard a key turning in the lock and the door opened to reveal a hulking ogre bearing a tray holding a cup of water and a hunk of dry bread. But Tumnus did not notice this, not because he was not hungry, but because the light from the doorway had illuminated the cell better and he now caught sight of a white something in the corner. It had only the tattered remains of a red scarf for ornamentation and identification but that was all he needed to know what it was – the skeleton of Camus.

Tumnus had long resigned himself to the death of his father, but seeing him now in his grim final resting place was too much for him and he just slumped against the wall. He was too exhausted and malnourished to cry and prayed to Aslan that he might also die. Ignoring the whimpers that were coming from him as the only sound he could make through his half-frozen lips, the ogre carelessly dropped the tray next to him and said, "Eat up, little goat-legs, so that you may get nice and fat for me to eat one of your legs and to give the other leg to the secret police for their dinner!" with a cruel laugh. Not able to control his hunger anymore, Tumnus picked the bread up off the floor and ate it ravenously to the amusement of the ogre. When he was finished he just slumped against the wall again and finally the ogre got bored and left. Soon it was quiet and despite the cold and the horror of finding the body of his father, Tumnus fell asleep.

Then it seemed to him that he heard a still, small Voice inside him saying, "Courage, Tumnus. Your father did not die in vain for I am coming soon to reclaim my kingdom and put all to right again. Have faith." That was when he woke up and found that he was still slumped against the dungeon wall. Just a dream, he thought. What had woken him up was the sound of the door to the next cell opening and through a large crack in the partition between the two cells, Tumnus could see the new prisoner being led in and shackled to the wall like he was. He was surprised to see that is was only a youngster and with even bigger surprise he realized that it was another human – a Son of Adam.

"Dear Aslan!" he said under his breath. " Did the Witch miss one Human only to capture another one?"

When the ogre was finished shackling the Human boy he left and soon came back with another tray of bread and water for the child. When he finally went out and locked the door behind him the boy looked at the bread for a while. Obviously he did not find it very appealing and to tell the truth it did not look very appetizing. But after shivering for a few minutes he finally picked it up and tried to eat but it was so dry that he choked on it. He tried to was it down with his water only to find that it was frozen and he put it back on the tray.

All this time Tumnus was watching him and waiting for a chance to approach him although he did not want to worry the boy with questions. It would surely only make him more worried if he found out the extent of the danger he was in and he was only a child after all. When he saw that he did not want his bread that was when Tumnus cautiously asked if he could give it to him. The Human obliged and, picking up what was left of the bread, he crawled as best he could with his feet in shackles and handed the bread to Tumnus through the crack in the wall between their cells. Now that he was closer to him Tumnus had a chance to take a better look at him and was taken aback when he found out that the boy actually looked familiar. _Where have I seen that nose before? Ah! Of course!_

"You're Lucy Pevensie's brother?"

The boy nodded. "I'm Edmund."

Tumnus heart stopped because if Lucy's brother was here in this dreadful place then where could she herself be? If his hooves had been free he would have kicked himself for not having gone with her to the lamppost as he had the first time. That way he would have been there if she had been confronted with the Witch and been able to defend her. But then maybe she was not here after all and Edmund had been the only one that the Witch had been able to capture. Maybe, just maybe. But he could not be sure until …

"Is your sister alright? Is she safe?"

Unfortunately, all Edmund could say was, "I don't know." Tumnus would have asked him how he had gotten here and if there were more Humans coming but at that moment the door to Edmund's cell opened again. This time it was not the ogre who entered but none other than the Witch herself. Tumnus had only ever seen her from a distance as she drove nearby in her sleigh and she was just as terrible up close. She was taller than anyone he had ever seen except a few giants years ago. With broad strides she crossed the cell to Edmund, saying, "My police tore that dam apart. Your little family are nowhere to be found."

By Aslan! thought Tumnus. Beaver succeeded in fetching Lucy as we had planned in case she should come again to the cave and has escaped with her!

Meanwhile, the Witch was questioning Edmund about the others' whereabouts but he could tell her nothing.

"Then you are no further use to me," she said as she raised her wand.

"Wait!" cried Edmund. "The Beaver said something about Aslan."

Tumnus listened more intently as the Witch asked Edmund where Aslan was. Before Edmund could say, Tumnus quickly interrupted.

"He's a stranger here, Your Majesty. He can't be expected to know anything."

Ginarrbrik, the driver of the Witch's sleigh who was with her, hit him in the face with the butt of his axe to silence him.

"I said," the Witch repeated, "where is Aslan?"

Tumnus gave Edmund a warning glance which Edmund caught and he managed to lie just in time. The Witch turned quickly to Tumnus but he only bowed his head.

"Guard!" called the Witch. The same ogre who had brought their meals came in. "Release the Faun," commanded the Witch. The ogre moved to Tumnus and instead of unlocking his shackles he broke them painfully off with an axe. He then dragged Tumnus cruelly to the feet of the Witch. The Witch turned her cold gaze to him and said, "Do you know why you're here, Faun?"

_Why was he here? Once again the memory of that cold, snowy September day came back to him. _

_"Have you any last words?"_

_"Only that I believe in a free Narnia."_

The last words that his father had ever said to him had been a legacy. He was passing on hope to the younger generation to keep on fighting for what Aslan had given them on the very first day of existence. So why was he here?

"Because I believe in a free Narnia."

The Witch's next words shattered him.

"You're here because he turned you in for sweeties."

She pointed her wand at Edmund. He barely heard the command of the Witch to take him upstairs. His last vision of Edmund trying to avoid his glance was blurred with tears. He winced with pain as the ogre dragged him up the cold stone stairs to the courtyard and roughly deposited him onto the ground. For a few minutes he just lay there shivering and weeping until the Witch herself came upstairs.

She pointed her wand at him and there was a bluish sort of light and he knew no more.


	5. Chapter 5

TUMNUS: PART FIVE

A warm breath was flowing over him. It was better than the fire in his cave but when he tried to reach out to it he found that he could not move his arms. So he tried to walk to it but his legs were frozen, too. Then, as if he had stepped into a warm rain, the warmth spread from the top of his head down his torso to his fingertips and finally down to his legs and hooves. He stretched his fingers and found that he had regained mobility. But he was very stiff and almost immediately fell over but before he hit the ground he was caught by a pair of familiar arms. In fact, if he did not know any better he would have said that he had been hugged by those arms only a few days ago. Uncertainly he peered into the smiling face of Lucy Pevensie laughing with joy.

At first he was terrified that she had also been captured by the Witch but it felt very strange. It was warm, very warm, warmer than it had been for years and years almost before he could remember. And there was no snow on the ground but he could see the gray stone of the courtyard. Then Lucy turned to someone and Tumnus looked and saw another girl who was a few years older than Lucy. Another Daughter of Eve! They both hugged Tumnus joyfully.

Tumnus thought, "What about Edmund? Did he not succeed in betraying us all to the Witch?"

"That is his own story, not yours." It was that still Voice which he had heard down in the dungeon but it no longer sounded small. He looked up again and there, shining as the morning sun reflected off his golden fur, stood Alsan in the flesh. The hope of his father as he was dragged away to die in the Dungeon of Ice had finally come true after all these years. Tumnus' awe and joy at that moment were indescribable as Aslan continued to bring to life those who had been turned into stone by the Witch. When all had been revived, Aslan gave orders for Rumblebuffin the Giant to break open the gates of the courtyard so that they could all get out.

Tumnus' heart nearly burst with joy within him when he saw that the return of Aslan had also brought the return of Spring. In the distance green hill rose over the once more fertile valley of Narnia and the singing of birds such as had not been heard for a hundred years filled the air. He ran and leaped and danced with the rest of the crowd as he had done so often when he was younger. And the other Fauns and horses and other such hoofed animals pranced with him. People he had known who had disappeared long ago and were thought dead laughed with joy at finding him and he at finding them.

The time came when they reached the battlefield and he roared with the other former prisoners of the Witch as they joined the battle. Armed with nothing but his fists, Tumnus dealt a couple of blows to the enemy and just escaped a hard knock himself. The other better-armed soldiers finished off the rest of the rabble and finally Tumnus felt that he had truly live up to his father's legacy. After the battle, Lucy applied a special cordial to his face where Ginarrbrik the Dwarf had struck it in the Dungeon of Ice.

The next day was the final fulfillment of the prophecy and Tumnus watched proudly with the other Narnians as Lucy, Edmund (who had repented), the older girl (who turned out to be their older sister named Susan), and their eldest brother Peter took their thrones. In the celebration that followed afterward, Edmund, or King Edmund as he was now, slowly approached him. Tumnus bowed respectfully but it only made Edmund blush. "I – I am sorry about betraying you and landing you in that horrible place," he said.

"Don't worry," said Tumnus, "Aslan has forgiven you and so have I."

"So can we be friends?"

"It would be a pleasure."


	6. Chapter 6

TUMNUS: PART SIX

Years later, when the monarchs of Narnia were no longer children but adults, Beaver came knocking at Tumnus door with exciting news.

"I was fishin' this mornin' at my usual spot when who should come down to the water to drink but the white stag!"

Tumnus clapped his hands in his excitement and rushed off at once to tell the kings and queens. At Cair Paravel, the castle of the four thrones, Queen Lucy was chatting with her good friend Aravis Tarkheena when Tumnus came running in. Lucy greeted him joyfully and he hurriedly told her of the milk-white stag finally being seen again. Excusing herself to Aravis, Lucy ran in and related the news to King Peter in the throne room as she passed it and to Queen Susan, who was in the stables talking to the horses. Soon they had all found Edmund and saddled up some non-Talking Horses that they usually used for hunting. Tumnus saw them off at the gate and then trotted happily down to the castle kitchens for some hay, his favorite afternoon snack when his goat-stomach was usually rumbling.

By nightfall the kings and queens had not returned and some of the servants began to worry. Tumnus assured them that everything was alright and if he knew Lucy well enough she was probably egging them all on. She would not stop until she caught the stag and got a wish and besides he was feeling too content and full of hay and did not feel inclined to worry much at the moment. But by the next evening when they still had not returned he also became very worried. He traveled with a special search party all over the woods where they had last been seed until they came to the old lamppost.

Seeing it all over again brought back memories of the old days of perpetual winter and tears started streaming down his face. He asked Aslan again and again where his dear Lucy could be and swore to give anything to see her again. Then completely by chance his failing middle-aged eyes glimpsed something white lying on the ground. Upon further inspection it turned out to be a horn and not just any horn but the magic horn of Queen Susan. The Pevensies had disappeared leaving only something with which to call them back if they were ever needed again and Tumnus felt that it was going to be alright after all. He walked to his cave to keep the horn there until someone would have to wind it to save Narnia once more knowing that Aslan was watching over them all.


End file.
